Aberdeen man pleads guilty to sexual contact

February 29, 2008|By Scott Waltman, swaltman@aberdeennews.com

An Aberdeen man has admitted to illegal sexual contact. Nicholas W. Berens, 21, pleaded guilty in Brown County to sexual contact with a person incapable of consent because of intoxication. The crime is a felony punishable by as much as 10 years in state prison and a $20,000 fine. Before Berens is sentenced, psychosexual and chemical dependency evaluations will be completed. The charges stem from incidents in May 2007. In exchange for Berens guilty plea, a charge of rape was dismissed. In other recent court news involving felonies from the region:

David W. Tewksbury, 47, of Groton, pleaded guilty to possession of methamphetamine. The crime is punishable by as much as 10 years in state prison and a $20,000 fine. Tewksbury must complete treatment before he is sentenced. In exchange for his guilty plea, a misdemeanor marijuana charge was dismissed.

Eric A. James, 20, of Redfield, pleaded guilty in Spink County to burglary. The crime is punishable by as much as 10 years in state prison and a $20,000 fine. James was sentenced to five years in prison. The term was suspended. He must spend 90 days in county jail and two years on probation. He was fined $1,000 and must make restitution.

Berton Kidd, 48, of Bancroft, pleaded guilty in Spink County to possession of methamphetamine. The crime is punishable by as much as 10 years in state prison and a $20,000 fine. Kidd was sentenced to 60 days in county jail and two years' probation. He was fined $750 and must undergo a chemical dependency evaluation. In exchange for his guilty plea, other lesser drug charges were dismissed. Kidd was granted a suspended imposition of sentence. That means the incident will not go on his record if he adheres to the terms of his probation.

Justin Feyereisen, 30, of Mobridge, pleaded guilty to possession of marijuana. The crime, in this case, is punishable by as much as five years in state prison and a $10,000 fine. Feyereisen was sentenced to four years in prison with 42 months suspended. The term may be served at the same time as a federal prison charge resulting from a different drug charge. He must also pay a $1,073 fine. In exchange for Feyereisen's guilty pleas, other related charges were dismissed.